Hall Staying Within Himself

Tony Allen

07/29/2010

For Tampa Yankees starter Shafer Hall, it's not about overpowering hitters and recording lots of strikeouts, it's about managing the game wisely. Hall, whose fastball tops out around 90 mph, has pitched his way to a 7-1 record by hitting the right spots and making few mistakes.

"I think that part of my success this year has come from me just trying to stay within myself," Shaeffer Hall said. "I'm not trying to be someone I'm not. I know what kind of pitcher I am. I'm just focusing on getting hitters out."

Hall, who started the season in Charleston, has been effective since coming up to the Florida State League. Through his first seven starts, he has a 2.35 ERA and 31 strikeouts to only seven walks.

"Moving into a five-man rotation, unlike throwing once a week in college, you tend to get a routine going," he said. "That helps a lot. I've just built off of each start and every start I go out with a mentality to get ahead of hitters and put my team in a position to win."

He certainly has settled into the five-man rotation nicely. Consistency has been the name of the game for Hall, who has not allowed more than one earned run in five of his first seven starts. His success can be contributed to his solid command over the strike zone.

"That's what I've focused on my whole pitching career," Hall said. "I'm just working on hitting spots and getting ahead of hitters. If you're able to get ahead of a hitter, you're able to throw different pitches in different counts. That's what I base my pitching style off of."

Hall isn't your prototypical pitcher. He's managed to have success in the Florida State League without having a primary pitch.

"I just try to mix it up a little bit…work in and out and keep hitters off balance," he said. "I really can't say that I have a dominant pitch. What I can say is my two-seamer has gotten a lot better over the past year.

If you face eight or nine righties in a lineup every night, you're going to have to work on your two-seamer and your changeup. Those two pitches, I definitely think, have improved."

Whether or not Hall has the potential to play in the big leagues one day remains to be seen. The 22-year-old has only made eight appearances in the FSL, so only time will tell.

"I just need to work on knowing the game better, becoming a better all-around pitcher and knowing the situations," Hall said. "I know what kind of pitcher I am. I like to work both sides of the plate and throw a lot of pitches for strikes. There are a lot of pitchers in the big leagues right now making a living off doing that."

After a red-hot 7-1 start to the season with the Yanks, Hall has the chance to put together a solid resume by season's end, even though he didn't come up until May 30.

"I just want to keep winning ball games and I think that will speak for itself," Hall said. "I think if I continue to do what I do, good things will happen."

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\r\n \r\n\r\n\"I think that part of my success this year has come from me just trying to stay within myself,\" Shaeffer Hall said. \"I'm not trying to be someone I'm not. I know what kind of pitcher I am. I'm just focusing on getting hitters out.\"\r\n\r\nHall, who started the season in Charleston, has been effective since coming up to the Florida State League. Through his first seven starts, he has a 2.35 ERA and 31 strikeouts to only seven walks.\r\n\r\n\"Moving into a five-man rotation, unlike throwing once a week in college, you tend to get a routine going,\" he said. \"That helps a lot. I've just built off of each start and every start I go out with a mentality to get ahead of hitters and put my team in a position to win.\"\r\n\r\nHe certainly has settled into the five-man rotation nicely. Consistency has been the name of the game for Hall, who has not allowed more than one earned run in five of his first seven starts. His success can be contributed to his solid command over the strike zone.\r\n\r\n\"That's what I've focused on my whole pitching career,\" Hall said. \"I'm just working on hitting spots and getting ahead of hitters. If you're able to get ahead of a hitter, you're able to throw different pitches in different counts. That's what I base my pitching style off of.\"\r\n\r\nHall isn't your prototypical pitcher. He's managed to have success in the Florida State League without having a primary pitch.\r\n \r\n\"I just try to mix it up a little bit…work in and out and keep hitters off balance,\" he said. \"I really can't say that I have a dominant pitch. What I can say is my two-seamer has gotten a lot better over the past year.\r\n\r\nIf you face eight or nine righties in a lineup every night, you're going to have to work on your two-seamer and your changeup. Those two pitches, I definitely think, have improved.\"\r\n\r\nWhether or not Hall has the potential to play in the big leagues one day remains to be seen. The 22-year-old has only made eight appearances in the FSL, so only time will tell.\r\n\r\n\"I just need to work on knowing the game better, becoming a better all-around pitcher and knowing the situations,\" Hall said. \"I know what kind of pitcher I am. I like to work both sides of the plate and throw a lot of pitches for strikes. There are a lot of pitchers in the big leagues right now making a living off doing that.\"\r\n\r\nAfter a red-hot 7-1 start to the season with the Yanks, Hall has the chance to put together a solid resume by season's end, even though he didn't come up until May 30.\r\n\r\n\"I just want to keep winning ball games and I think that will speak for itself,\" Hall said. \"I think if I continue to do what I do, good things will happen.\"\r\n\r\n

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Are you a monthly or 3-month subscriber to PinstripesPlus.com? Why not get two months free AND get 4 issues of our PinstripesPlus Magazine included by becoming an annual subscriber? Upgrade today to get the most out of your subscription.